Homemade meatballs and sauce

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 455g lean ground beef
• ½ Spanish onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme
• 165g dried breadcrumbs
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock, dissolved in hot water
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• Cracked black pepper, to season

Meatball sauce

• 6 medium vine tomatoes, diced
• Glug olive oil
• ½ Spanish onion, finely diced
• 1 crushed clove garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• Salt and pepper to season

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together in a large bowl until combined.
2. Form into meatballs using your hands.
3. To fry, roll the meatballs in a bit of flour first and then cook in the frying pan with a little olive oil.
4. To bake, cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C/400°F.
5. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until soft.
6. Add in the fresh tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
7. Add the vinegar and honey and cook for about a minute.
8. Add in the can of tomatoes and seasoning.
9. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until meatballs are ready.
10. Puree the sauce using an hand blender.
11. Add the meatballs to the sauce and allow to sit at a low heat for a minute or two.
12. Serve with spaghetti and enjoy.

Recipe submitted by Scorpio